Budget gridlock: Iraq unlikely to submit 2025 tables amid fiscal strains

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s federal budget for 2025 is unlikely to be sent to Parliament anytime soon due to mounting fiscal and political challenges, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee warned on Saturday.

Hussein Munis, a senior committee member, told Shafaq News that the delay is because of “severe financial deficits, unstable revenue streams, the absence of a coherent economic vision, and the looming legislative elections.”

“The deficit in the budget law has reached nearly 80T IQD (~ $61B),” Munis said. “This puts the government in an extremely difficult position as it lacks a structured economic strategy to finalize and submit the tables to Parliament.”

Earlier, fellow committee member Muin al-Kadhimi anticipated that the budget tables might reach Parliament by early July. At the time, he noted that the Finance Ministry had reviewed its comments on the tables and submitted them to the Cabinet, which was expected to issue a final position.

“The ministry is preparing the final budget tables after receiving feedback from the Cabinet,” al-Kadhimi stated, adding that the draft might be sent to Parliament following cabinet approval.

Observers warn that further delays in passing Iraq’s 2025 federal budget will directly impact public salaries, infrastructure projects, and essential services. With over half the year gone, some analysts argue that the budget has become a political bargaining tool, especially as elections approach.

“The budget has turned into a political weapon during electoral seasons,” one analyst said, describing the protracted process as “a tool for leverage between rival blocs—often at the expense of Iraqi citizens.”

Legal experts, meanwhile, stress that failure to disburse funds allocated in a ratified budget law could constitute administrative misconduct. They note that legal action could be pursued against institutions obstructing lawful implementation.